A New Home
by Easily Distracted0720
Summary: HPFFVII crossover The dead can no longer return but that doesn't mean they can't have another chance at life. Join Zack, Aerith, Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth and beloved characters from FFVII as they try to save Earth's lifestream from Voldemort's clutches.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is a figment of my imagination. I don't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy VII.

CHAPTER 1

"So? What are we up against?" asked a tall, young man with spiky black hair and eerie, glowing, blue eyes to a young brunette sitting in front of the fire with him and three of his friends. She had just opened her eyes and seemed a bit out of reach before she regained herself and turned her attention to the four males surrounding her. She fingered the locks of hair twisted around each other over one ear and grew thoughtful, as if she was unsure of what she was going to say.

"Well?" the same male asked, anxious.

"There's a war waging in this world," the young woman began, the atmosphere getting a little tense. "There is a handful of people that are able to manipulate the lifestream without actually knowing what it is. These people are hidden from the populace and they have their society, their own government. They call themselves wizards and the rest of the world doesn't know of their existence. Unfortunately, this war they are waging within themselves, extends to those unable to use magic. Apparently, their 'dark lord' dislikes these people and wants to… eradicate them completely." She sighed heavily, the thought of innocent people unable to defend themselves weighing heavily in her mind. "Gaia wants us to find and protect the lifestream here. If this 'dark lord' were to find it and harness the power it contains, it would be chaos."

The four men around her knew exactly what she was talking about. Mako infusions, materia, all of that and more could bring about the end of this— no, _their_ new world, considering the nations, the countless innocents that are currently working together in the midst of this war they know nothing about. It was heinous. It was what almost happened to Gaia and what most of them died to prevent.

There was silence, thick tension that one could cut with a knife, made it hard to breathe. A man with long, silver hair and eyes like glowing jade decided to speak. "It is best that the knowledge of the lifestream be kept hidden from the world. From what I understand, they can surely manipulate it but not so much as to be adept or enhanced like us. That means, they have no materia, no mako—"

"And definitely no SOLDIER wannabe's", finished the spiky haired man. "I think this world doesn't need any more SOLDIERs than it already has. Or better yet, no Hojo's!" He gave a shudder, and the tension seemed to lift with his carefree attitude and teasing. "Man, that guy's creepy! Anyway, if this 'dark lord'," the man made quotation marks in the air, "is as psychotic as I think he is, he might pull a Hojo if he finds out about the lifestream."

The young brunette woman couldn't help but giggle at her beloved's antics as he ranted about the mad doctor who caused so much damage to all of them and made some impressions of him.

"Zack, can't you take anything seriously?" asked an older man with black hair framing his angular face, his shining amethyst eyes narrowed in disapproval at his former student's lack of urgency.

"Apparently not", the silver haired man answered for him rather blankly, as if he was used to the attitude, which he probably was considering their friendship.

"I don't know how you lasted this long", muttered a male with reddish brown hair and eyes as brilliant as sapphires, shaking his head regally as the man named Zack sputtered indignantly. "Going back to the matter at hand, what does this 'dark lord' know of the lifestream? He has to know something in order for the planet to sense the danger."

"It is something of a legend here, but I only have a little informantion and it may not help us much," said the woman as she leaned forward to address all of them. "It was supposedly hidden a long time ago by the ancient people to keep it safe. Gaia mentioned that it was the reason for the decline in magic here, even though it is still flowing throughout the planet. Because of the decline, the knowledge of the lifestream's existence and location has become unknown and the stuff of legends of the foundation of all the ancient rituals that are now gone."

"I think we would need to find some manuscripts about these legends," the other raven haired man suggested, turning to the male brunette. "Genesis, do you think you can find anything about this?"

Genesis looked at him, affronted. "Angeal, you insult me. Of course, I can. But I need access to this wizard society, too, and compare it for similarities and authenticity. By my guess, I think this 'dark lord' would be ahead of us, though not for long."

"So, we are dealing with a man we have to presume to be extremely dangerous and is currently working on locating the lifestream," Angeal started thoughtfully. "He has the advantage of knowing the terrain, of people working for him, magic we are not familiar with and valuable information we don't have. Yet."

"Not to mention that he would be highly unpredictable if he were mentally ill," Genesis added for good measure, remembering the time that he was driven to madness, unknowingly, inciting the silver haired man's own memories.

"This mission will be treated with utmost confidentiality. This means, no talking, Zack," said the silver haired man, staring hard at his former subordinate, who spluttered yet again and choked on the chocolate chip cookie he was nibbling on. He turned back to the others, ignoring a string of protests from Zack. "We need to gather more information about what we are dealing with and as Genesis pointed out, we need access to this hidden world. We will have to do this for the time being."

"Sephiroth," came the slightly timid voice of the young woman. "It would probably help to know that your neighbor is a wizard. One named Harry Potter. He is, from what Gaia told me, the savior of this planet and it is his destiny to destroy the 'dark lord'."

"Thank you, Aerith," said the once titled Demon of Wutai, a little uncomfortable. "The best thing we can do is gather information from this boy, maintain secrecy," a pointed look at Zack, "protect the lifestream, and to not meddle as much as we can."

"Don't forget assisting the civilians," Zack added. "These people are defenseless against magic. You have to admit, they are somewhat advanced in the weapons department but magic is still a different story. We don't know what kind of spells wizards use or if it's the same as ours. I mean, we have to assume the worst. If we can destroy buildings with Firaga spells, what can they do?"

The group nodded in agreement. There was so much they had to do but very little to work with. It didn't matter that much as it should though. They were all inexplicably excited and anxious about this development, especially the four First Class SOLDIERs who had not discarded their love for the battlefield just yet and needed to prove their worth to themselves and to their new home.

A/N: so what do you guys think? Is it okay? There will be some additional characters a little later and yes, Cloud will be one of them. Not sure when he will be popping up though. Hope you like it and be assured that I'll be updating soon. It's pretty uneventful now but it'll get better soon. I promise! .;


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to all those who read my story and put me in their alerts and stuff! It is very much appreciated! :D I hope you guys would like the second installment better since this will put some more perspective into the characters' lives on Earth. Please don't hesitate to leave me any reviews or criticisms because they would only serve to make this story better!

I don't own anybody. If I did I would make Sephiroth and Cloud do very naughty things. T.T;

CHAPTER 2

_Fifteen years ago…_

It had been a long time ago. The visions of a life he once lived came upon him gradually. The memories of a life that seemed so long ago and yet could be remembered so clearly was like hale that threatened to destroy his mind. It was like living in a nightmare he could not escape, all too real and frightening.

Sephiroth Crescent, only son of Lucrecia Crescent, had always thought of himself… different… from most people. His strength, his intellect, even his looks were beyond what is considered normal. He had silver hair and glowing, jade eyes, a startling contrast from his mother who was a brunette. His intellect rivaled those of men and women thrice his age, though that had been attributed to the fact that his mother had been a scientist. His strength was unparalleled and he seemed quite enamored with swords, gifted with skills he had not known he possessed.

He remembered a time when he asked his mother if he was anything like his father only to have her laugh at him, saying that he was nothing like "that sorry excuse for a human being".

"I don't understand why you seem so troubled. In my opinion, you are gifted with strength men can only imagine and women would swoon to, can hold intellectually stimulating conversations, and is a very attractive young man to boot. All the ladies agree with me", she had said, giggling as she tormented him at his age of twelve years old. He remembered that he had been so angry with her then for teasing him and had not spoken to her for three days.

But all her motherly teasing and reassurances had not quenched his desire to know more about himself. At the age of fifteen years old, his mother left him with a fortune and a company that many vultures sought after. It hardened him as he fought them all off and established the company as one of the leading providers of everything from medicine to corn chips in the span of five years.

It had become something of a miracle to the business world and the desire to expand to other countries was too great to resist for Sephiroth. Crescent Group Industries, Inc. later became a multinational company that needed most of his attention besides his studies and the questions about himself were temporarily forgotten.

Then the visions resurfaced of a need to conquer, to succeed. Though Sephiroth was a competitive person at heart, some of the visions were deadlier and destructive, like the whole world was at stake. Of course, not all depicted him as a heartless, destructive and disturbed bastard. There was a time when he was not insane in the memories.

Somehow, the dreams, the memories; they all made more sense of how he had came to be and it seemed more real, concrete despite the unspeakable horrors that his life there had caused. Sometimes he wondered if this life he was living right now was a lie.

The forgotten questions resurfaced once again.

He had not known then that the answer would come in the package of his ex-girlfriend who also gave him his three sons. A young lady with long, brown hair tied in a pink bow at the top of her head and twisted around each other all the way to the tip. She had pretty blue eyes, nothing like the pair he had seen in his dreams, though, he thought, and a sweet smile that can "turn metal into mush" as a friend would eloquently say.

Her name was Aerith Gainsborough. He met her when they were both seventeen. She was the one who talked to him at his first day in a public high school while everyone else stayed out of his way. He had felt strangely uncomfortable with her, visions of her dying by his hand hovering in the back of his mind. It was awkward, at first, and Sephiroth had no idea how to approach someone like her. She was very friendly, though, and they became friends even though Sephiroth was having trouble expressing himself.

They would always sit together at lunch and they didn't need to talk to each other since the silence was always comforting. She would look up at the sky and tell him that she was once afraid that it would swallow her whole. He would always think it strange and look at the sky himself.

Through her, he met Zachary Fair, a mischievous, irritating porcupine-head who was too lazy to notice his potential. He had recognized his face the moment he looked at him. It was like a blurry picture suddenly came into focus and hit him at the back of the head. As Zack's eyes widened in recognition, it had to be concluded that they were having the same experiences.

Aerith, at the time, had only smiled mysteriously, a smile that told Sephiroth that she knew something they didn't. Sephiroth had once asked her if she had these same experiences since they both had her in their dreams and she would refuse to answer.

Zack had later explained that he had two other friends who had the same condition that they had: one Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos.

When they all met the first time, the visions became clearer, emotions became heightened and almost unbearable, their faces molded into the blurred ones and the old camaraderie they had once shared came back tenfold like no time had passed or that they had forgotten that they had just met.

It hurt him to see his friends dying or driven to madness in the dreams. It hurt but he could not deny that it was not true because he knew it was, had always known it was since the visions started and Aerith had happily explained everything to them one summer morning. They were in the porch of Angeal's home in the country where acres upon acres of apple trees lay before them.

"Gaia wanted to give you another chance. All you've seen are true, they are your memories," she said softly as they stared at the clouds. "The lives we led, the tragedies they had become, the legends that were born from it, all of it gave rise to a new era in Gaia. The planet thinks that all of us are worthy to start over in a new world and that we need it most after all we've suffered." She smiled brightly then, turning to them. "That's what she said anyway."

Somehow, Sephiroth had remembered words when he thought he was asleep, feeling like he was floating in water where he can breathe.

_"Life has not been easy on all of you and I hope this would be enough to do you justice for all the things you have suffered to make the future what it is. I can never return the dead to the lives they once led nor can I take anything away that can make you incomplete._

_"All will be retained for a greater purpose." _

He had not realized that he had said it out loud. Zack had looked as surprised as ever, his blue eyes wide as he, too, remembered the words. Angeal had been quiet, solemn as if he had not expected anything less, black hair that framed his face, lightly carried by the breeze. Genesis, head tilted to one side and his reddish brown hair playing gracefully in the same wind, mouthed the words as he grew thoughtful and contemplative.

_"All will be retained for a greater purpose…"_

OoOoOoOoOoO

_Present time after the discussion…_

"Hey, Seph? Commander Fair to General Sephiroth, can you read me? SEPH!"

Sephiroth blinked as he was brought back to reality with an annoying hand moving up and down his face. He resisted the urge to grab it and break all the bones in it. Or better yet, run its owner through with Masamune and be done with him once and for all. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the hand tightly in his grasp and looked at his former subordinate with a frosty glare that would send a lesser man quaking in his shoes.

Since it was Zack, he only succeeded in making him grin like the idiot he sometimes was.

"You blacked out on us," he informed the jade-eyed man, suddenly concerned. "What're you thinking about?"

It seemed that everyone, except Aerith was worried. The other two males sitting on his expensive black leather couch was regarding him with carefully concealed concern, something they had all mastered way back when. Aerith was smiling as usual, nibbling on a biscuit she brought. Sephiroth frowned at her. Sometimes he wondered if she could read minds or simply know everything. Then again, with a planet whispering to her, she was bound to be privy to any and all information.

"'All will be retained for a greater purpose…'"

Clueless as ever, Zack tilted his head much like the puppy he was accused of, his brows furrowed. "Huh?"

The silver haired man turned to Aerith who was drinking her tea, unperturbed, smile still present. "When she said that, this is what she meant, correct?"

"She knows, you know," she said cryptically, smiling as she reached for another biscuit. "She can't take away the SOLDIERs in all of you. To do so would be cruel, she said. It was like taking a large chunk of who you are and rendering you incomplete. Do you know why some remember their past lives while others don't? It is either because they found something they could not let go or they are looking for something they know is an essential part of themselves they never had or lost. They would go through their lifetimes searching for the missing part of themselves." She turned her blue eyes to them. "She would prefer you have everything and deal with it in your own way rather than to drift in this world, knowing in the back of your mind that you've lost something and couldn't seem to get it back.

"She knows you are SOLDIERs at heart, even in your future lifetimes, it will always be a part of you. She also knows that you want to make something of yourselves you didn't have a chance to. Becoming a hero, protecting your honor, redemption… all of these will be accomplished here. This planet, our new home, is in grave danger and we might be the only ones who can stop it."

There was silence as everyone weighed these words, knowing what she said was true. SOLDIERs were made to fight any and all threats and this crisis was calling out to the SOLDIERs in all of them.

"There's really no reason for us to think about this, then," Genesis said suddenly, head thrown back as he laughed softly. "I, for one, am looking forward to this mission of ours. Just like the old days. Sometimes, life can be pretty boring without a little danger."

Angeal looked ready to argue but Zack burst out before he could say anything. "Yeah! Just like the old days! Maybe I can cut loose! No offense, Angeal, but the apple farm is not meant for an all-out spar with swords as big as we are!"

Angeal frowned darkly. "Don't remind me." He remembered the shed and at least a third of the farm destroyed by an overexcited Zack swinging his Buster Blade in the air after Aerith brought it from Shiva knew where.

Sephiroth's expression softened as he admitted to himself that he wanted this, too. At first, he wanted to turn away from this part of himself as he remembered the pain he had caused. The faces of those he fought were there but still blurred.

He was prone to remembering a flash of sunny gold and bright, blue eyes with the intensity of blue flames and knew that it was the boy who defeated him. He knew him but he could not, for the life of him, remember his face. Just his eyes. His eyes were beautiful and it showed everything. Knowing that the faces are triggered by actually seeing the person, there would be no chance of him remembering what the boy looked like and every emotion that was associated with him.

He gave himself a mental shake. The boy would always pop up in his head whenever he thought of faces. He knew he felt strongly for this boy but until he sees his face, he would not completely remember it.

Behind him, Aerith smiled mischievously. The only reason why Sephiroth forgot was because he himself did not know it. Really, how could you forget something you never knew? Sometimes, Aerith could not believe how clueless the silver general was.

A/N: So, I just offered some explanations. I hope I did a great job explaining things… If you have any questions, just ask okay? Still nothing happened but Harry and Sephiroth's, uh, kids are going to be debuting in the next chapter. Hope no one has aneurisms because of that tidbit but once you meet them, I'm sure it would make some sense, and why I made Aerith their mom… :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: As I promised, the third chapter will include Harry. Just to give a quick heads up, this will be set in his fifth year and will not really follow much of the book. I might cite some important events, not quite sure yet, but I will put all my focus on Sephiroth-sama and the others.

Another thing, this will be yaoi but not overly much. And development would be a little slow so forgive me in advance. Heck, Cloud isn't even here yet. _(clears throat)_ Although, I plan on putting lemons here and there, I'll put some divisions so that some readers who may not like it can skip the parts.

I'm also sorry if I don't portray the characters well. I'm trying to make it as close to the original characters as I could. Please don't hesitate to tell me anything. Criticisms are always welcome.

Almost forgot: I don't own any of them. If I did, I'd be pretty rich right now and I'm not.

Thank you very much to Wasabi-sama, Eriol-sama, libsrevenge who reviewed my story. I'm not spoiling anything though! :b

Thank you also to eclipse ze lunachic for putting me in your favorite stories list! I am honored, truly.

And of course, to all those people who read my story, thank you very much!

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

CHAPTER 3

Summer had always been Harry's least favorite season. In the past, before he had even known about Hogwarts, he had always despised it because he would be at the Dursleys all the time. This meant that he could not escape Dudley and his goons bullying him, Aunt Petunia shouting how practically worthless he was and no different from his mother, and Uncle Vernon cursing at him and threatening to not feed him in the next five days, or so.

With Hogwarts, he saw very little of his relatives unless absolutely necessary, and it was, according to Professor Dumbledore, who said that it was for his own protection. Still, he couldn't help but feel homesick. Hogwarts would always feel more like a home than the Dursleys' and he missed his friends quite a lot.

He looked out at his window that faced the street, and ran a hand through his messy, black hair. He wished he could just go to the Burrow or something. Or maybe just outside for a couple of hours. Besides being constantly harassed by the Dursleys, he was prohibited to go outside and take out any and all things that were related to magic simply because one of his windows faced the new neighbor's house. Apparently, they did not want him to be seen by said neighbor who was some kind of rich businessman. Not that he wanted to be seen, really. He was not interested in anybody who would be friends with the Dursleys. They would probably be just like them, or worse.

He would often hear Aunt Petunia say how the neighbors liked the pies she baked and Uncle Vernon tell Dudley that he had to make friends with the neighbor's three sons.

How disgusting. They were being showered by the Dursleys' attempt to impress them since autumn last year apparently. Though, if they were really as rich as the Dursleys thought, why pick some drab street like Privet Drive to build a dream home? It must have been some publicity thing because the neighbor, as Uncle Vernon had said enviously, bought the three properties beside theirs and built the grand mansion from scratch.

It just so happened that Harry's room was directly in front of one of the kids' bedrooms.

Harry sighed. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, to be honest. The sun was shining, no clouds in the sky. It was a perfect day. He debated whether he should go downstairs and risk Uncle Vernon getting angry. Then again, he never really gave much thought to the Dursleys' threats anymore than he did five years ago.

In the next month, he would be celebrating his birthday and a month after that; he would be going back to Hogwarts. His relatives didn't want him there anymore than he wanted to stay so they wouldn't use not going to Hogwarts as a threat.

Mind made up, he walked away from the window and out the door. He still kept himself quiet as he went down the stairs, though. If he was caught by Aunt Petunia, he would never hear the end of it. Really.

He slowly poked his head out form the stairs, hearing Aunt Petunia moving around the kitchen and muttering about neighbors trying to outdo her. He tiptoed towards the living room. Since Uncle Vernon was out at work and wouldn't be home for hours and the television was not blaring, he assumed his whale of a cousin was hanging out with his cronies, probably bullying some defenseless kid.

Good. He wouldn't be home for hours.

He turned the knob, and pulled it open, flinching when it made a barely audible creak that seemed to blare in his ears. He turned toward the kitchen, finding Aunt Petunia undisturbed as she opened the oven and took out a freshly baked set of chocolate chip cookies.

Quickly as he could, he darted out the door and went outside. He was momentarily blinded by the sun but the warmth was something he had not experienced since he'd been back. Looking around, there weren't too many people outside at all. Still, the quiet and the cool breeze was a welcome comfort than being stuck inside all day with relatives breathing down your neck.

He walked a bit and saw the high wall that protected the mansion from wandering eyes. It was just tall enough to prevent Aunt Petunia's snooping around. Thick iron gates painted in black stood at the front, intimidating any who would come near, though the intricate detail of vines and leaves painted in autumn colors made it less daunting.

He had to admit, it was really classy. He turned his gaze back to his direction and was almost past the gate when a baseball suddenly jumped from within, bounced on his head then settled comfortably in his arms. From inside the gates, he heard three different voices.

"You did it again! This is the third time you hit the ball too hard!" said the voice of a young boy, followed by footsteps toward the gate.

"I thought that was the point in this game?" said another voice questioningly albeit emotionlessly.

"I-I'm sorry," another voice said, sniffling. "I didn't mean to…"

"You're making him cry again," said the emotionless voice. "Mom's not going to like this."

"I-I'm not crying!" said the owner of the second voice, but it was evident, even to Harry, that he was if the sniffling and the hiccups were any indication.

"Oh, come on, Loz, don't cry! Geez, we'll just get the ball back and we'll start over okay?" sighed the first voice, consolingly. "You just have to remember to hit it within the gates!"

"O-okay!" said the crying voice timidly, still sniffling.

Harry stood there listening to the conversation, a little curious and amused. He moved just as the gate opened and stood before three ten year old boys, his hand outstretched to give their ball back. His eyes widened as he took sight of them.

The three boys shared silvery white hair and green eyes that reminded Harry of little marbles. His eyes first landed on the sniffling one, who was a little taller and broader than his brothers. His hair was short and it stood up despite its gentle waves. He was also quite shy as he turned away from Harry's eyes, a bit uncomfortable as he sidled closer to the boy who seemed to be their leader.

"Can we have our ball back?" he asked politely but he regarded Harry with a frosty glare as he stood in front of his brothers as if to protect them. Unlike the sniffling one, he was smaller and slender, his hair framing his defiant, elfin face.

The other brother remained unaffected as he continued reading a book entitled "Loveless". He was easily just as tall as the sniffling one but he was slender and slim, and his hair fell limply down his back.

When Harry dropped the ball to the leader's waiting hand and shrugged, about to walk away, the quiet one spoke, his voice breathy and gentle, reminding Harry of Luna Lovegood.

"Thank you for returning our ball," he said, raising his eerie green eyes to meet his. He tilted his head in the direction of the house just a few feet away. "Would you like to come inside for some lemonade and some pie? It's the least we can do."

Harry was about to refuse and their leader was about to protest when the quiet boy said with finality, "I insist", and walked away without another word, the previously crying boy, giving them a shrug and trotting on the winding path towards the house.

"Kadaj, please don't forget to close the gates," the quiet boy called out as he opened the front door, slipping inside with his brother in tow.

Harry found himself in quite a predicament as he didn't even get a word in between the three. The leader, Kadaj, simply rolled his eyes and regarded the boy who lived with an impatient stare which the latter returned rather uncertainly.

"Well? Are you coming in or not?" He said after a moment, opening the gate just wide enough for Harry to pass through. As awkward as it was, Harry wordlessly, went through the gate and followed Kadaj into the mansion.

The mansion was easily the most spectacular house in Privet Drive, and now he could tell why Uncle Vernon was so envious. The mansion was three stories high all decked out in white. There were wide steps leading to the extravagant front door. The front door was made of thick, well polished wood framed by an arch with stained glass around the curve just above the door frame. Above the door was a wide balcony held up by two Grecian pillars that stood at the first step of the front door, their height reaching more than half the mansion's entire height. The balcony was round with railing made from widely spaced marble columns with winding black iron vines tipped in shiny bronze leaves and flowers.

The door to the balcony was made entirely of glass and it was opened that afternoon, allowing the breeze to enter and making the thin cream-colored curtains sway gently. On either side of the large balcony were two smaller ones with almost the same design except the smaller ones lacked the admirable size of the door and the marble railing. Instead it kept the wound vines and bronze leaves, their patterns pointing towards the grand balcony. Directly beneath the smaller balconies were pairs of French windows, all open to admit the summer breeze, the curtains, though light, obscured what was inside.

Bushes of roses, hyacinths, and all kinds of flowers bordered the house and the path Harry was walking on, which he later realized branched out to a tented pool on the other side of the property. There were also a few pairs of strange white trees that bent towards each other, forming a natural archway to the pool. He stared at the fruit that dangled from one of the branches, blinking. He rubbed his eyes and stared, not quite sure he had seen correctly.

"Hey, come on inside already before Loz eats up all the pie," said Kadaj, irritated, breaking Harry's interest with the fruit. He gave one last look before he entered the door first, followed by Kadaj who shut it with an audible click. He forced himself not to think about what could have been a blue apple.

If the outside seemed a bit classy, the inside would have been called sophisticated and modern minimalist. The house was very bright on the inside with the walls painted in cream with thin borderlines on the top and bottom painted in a deep red color. The marble floors were polished to perfection though before Harry could step foot into the marble step, Kadaj stopped him and gestured to a pair of cotton slippers while he reached for his own.

"The cleaner will kill you if she finds out you messed up the floor," he said by way of explanation. "She wants it shiny and perfect just the way Dad likes it."

After putting on silly--yet very comfortable-- blue slippers with little yellow stars on them, Harry followed Kadaj as he moved across the living room area where a large, black leather couch laid in front of a fire. Harry thought it odd that a fire was burning, even if it was a weak one and faintly heard Kadaj muttering about his parents and uncles moving to his Dad's study. Chairs were artfully strewn about the room and, on the opposite side of the fireplace, was a miniature bar, complete with stools, granite countertops, a selection of wines and liquor behind glass shelves and champagne glasses hanging upside down.

Behind a winding staircase was a set of double doors painted in dark brown and intricately carved with what could have been wings with their bases on the brass handles. A small distance away was another door with the same design only it had just one right wing. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw the balcony's rounded floor just above his head, a slightly wide corridor stretching on either side of the house before ending on the opposite side of the balcony with the same winding staircase. There were five doors on the right side just above the bar, paintings hanging on the spare walls.

Looking back to where Kadaj was headed, Harry saw an open archway beside the bar that apparently led to the kitchen if the sounds of tinkling silver and plates were any indication. He went through the archway and saw Aunt Petunia's dream kitchen, one she would never ever have.

It was bright inside and filled with large windows to let in the sunlight. Polished wood made up the cupboards and the large table and chairs. There was a small island separating the kitchen from the dining area and like the bar, most of the countertops were done in granite. The stove was inlaid and below it was the wide door of the oven. Right by one of the large windows was the sink made of stainless steel with brass knobs on either side of the spout.

Sitting on the empty countertop was Kadaj's brothers indulging in pie and lemonade as they said. Only half of the pie remained and the two had set aside two small saucers and dessert forks for them as well as two tall glasses.

When Kadaj approached, he helped himself and placed a slice of pie on a saucer. To Harry's astonishment, the boy whom he thought of as a prat that reminded him incredibly of Draco Malfoy, handed the slice to him first.

"It's bad manners to serve yourself first. Guests must always be prioritized," he said monotonously, shrugging.

"Thanks," Harry said quietly, accepting the offered dessert. He waited for Kadaj to get his own slice before tasting the pie.

It was nothing like he had ever tasted before and it must have shown in his face because Loz grinned. "Our mom made that pie for us," he said proudly. "It's her special du-apple pie from one of our uncle's farms."

"By the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced," said the quiet one of the boys. "I am Yazoo Crescent and these are my brothers, Kadaj and Loz. You are?"

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," he answered. "Nice to meet you."

The three boys stared at him, then, making him uncomfortable.

"You're not like the others, aren't you?" asked Kadaj, his sharp eyes trained on Harry's face as he drank some lemonade. "This is the first time since we got here that we didn't have anybody sucking up to us. Particularly that big boar in human's clothing next door."

Harry sputtered and choked in an effort not to laugh. At the curious glances, he said, "he's my cousin", and watched those marble jade eyes widen.

Loz whistled. "I didn't expect that. You look nothing alike."

"How come we haven't seen you before?" Yazoo asked, tilting his head to the side. "You are not hard to miss."

Harry grimaced. "I'm not allowed to go outside. My relatives don't like me and they don't want to be associated with me."

Kadaj snorted. "Shouldn't that be the other way around? If it were me, I wouldn't want to be associated with any of them, either, especially your cousin. No offense."

"None taken," Harry replied nicely. "I heard you just moved in late last year. I don't know much because I study in a boarding school so I'm really not surprised you don't know me, too."

"Well, it's really great to meet you. Not everyone here is nice. They just want to get free stuff," said Yazoo, taking another slice of the pie. "I'm sure Mom and Dad would like to meet you. It's the first time we've ever invited anyone from outside."

"What do you think about Privet Drive so far?" Harry asked.

"It's cool," Loz answered. "It's really quiet compared to the city but this place is full of gossips."

Aunt Petunia came to mind.

"Especially the horse-faced lady who brings those nauseatingly sweet cookies", added Kadaj. "I don't like her and I don't know where she sprouts from. Like a fungus."

"She's worse than Dad's stalkers", Yazoo finished, looking at Harry. "She's related to you, isn't she?"

The embarrassment on Harry's face was enough indication and the three boys nodded.

"Figures", said Kadaj. "If the boar is his cousin, it's just natural to have an aunt who's a horse."

"So," Loz began, thoughtfully. "In that case, your uncle must be the walrus with the moustache and the beady eyes."

Harry nodded, stifling a chuckle, startled when Loz pumped his fist in the air. "I'm right!" he shouted triumphantly.

"Hey, what's going on out here? And who's your new friend?"

All boys looked toward the archway where a raven-haired man stood leaning against it, a bright smile on his face. He was very tall, around six feet, perhaps, and muscular, though not so much to be termed brawny. His hair stood in spikes like a porcupine's quills and a few loose locks fell over his right eye. His smile reached his bright, blue eyes, mischievous and very contagious as Harry found himself wanting to smile, too. He was wearing a plain white shirt with a white flower printed in the middle with the words "Gaia's Garden" right below it in elegant script.

The brothers grinned at him. "Hey, Uncle Zack. Is your meeting already over?"

"Sure is", said the easy going man as he languidly walked over to them. "Your Dad's just tidying up a little in the office." He turned to Harry. "So, what's your name, kiddo?"

Harry smiled. He just couldn't help it. "I'm Harry, sir. Harry Potter."

Zack's eyes widened at that but it was gone a second later, his smile returning in full force. "Well, nice to meet you, Harry. Just call me Zack, okay? Formality makes me feel old." He took his much larger hand out to Harry and they shook hands. Harry thought his hand was going to be crushed but Zack had a firm yet gentle grasp. "You be careful around these squirts. They're pretty tricky, just like their parents."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said a soft female voice.

"Mom!" The boys hopped off the counters and bounced to the young lad with long brown hair tied in a pink bow at the top of her head and twirled around each other all the way to the tip. She was easily the prettiest girl Harry had ever seen and she had such a kind smile, too. She was a little small, reaching Zack's shoulder at best, and was physically fragile and slender. Somehow, he could see where Kadaj and Yazoo's willowy forms came from. She was dressed in a pink dress that reached her knees overlaid with a light brown jacket with sleeves that went past her wrists.

"Your pie's the best, Mom," said Loz, grinning from ear to ear.

"Come meet our new friend!" said Yazoo, the quiet boy raising his voice to be heard by his mother.

"He's related to the horse-faced lady!" shouted Kadaj with utter disgust.

"Kadaj, that is not a nice thing to say," the brunette reprimanded, Kadaj hanging his head in shame. "And in front of someone who is related to her, too."

"But Harry doesn't like her. He said it was okay," Kadaj reasoned.

Zack burst out laughing, the brunette glaring at him momentarily before turning back to her son. "Be that as it may, it's still not nice."

"Oh, come on, Aerith, you have to admit she annoys you just as much as she does them, and you don't even live here", said Zack, in between his chuckles.

Harry's eyes widened in shock as his gaze flitted from the woman to the three boys. Were their parents divorced or something?

Catching the look in his face, the woman decided to answer his unvoiced question. "Their father and I were never married but we are still friends and we share custody of the boys." She smiled warmly at him, holding out her hand that was no larger than his own. "I'm Aerith Gainsborough. What's your name?"

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said for the third time that day that no one knew him as the boy who lived. He shook hands with Aerith and returned her smile. "It's great to meet you, ma'am."

"You can just call me Aerith. I don't mind."

"Careful before he bursts," drawled a deep male voice from the doorway.

Harry turned to see an attractive brunette male with short hair framing his handsome face, striding leisurely towards them with a raven haired man right behind him. The man was quite elegant in his dark red dress shirt, arms crossed in front of his chest, outlining the muscles in his arms and shoulders. His uncommonly vivid blue eyes, stared at Harry curiously, before it focused elsewhere.

The raven haired man was a little taller and broader than the brunette, his gait a little straighter and military-like. His amethyst eyes were sharp and oddly bright as he stared down at Harry as well. His hair was short and framed his angular face and he was stylishly unshaven. His mouth was set in a firm line as he stopped beside Zack.

"Sephiroth is going to kill you for messing up his office," he said blankly as Aerith trotted to the large fridge and pulled out another pie. "Thought you should know."

Harry watched amused as the color in Zack's face drained away and his mouth slacked.

"But, I didn't mess it up! I just misplaced some of the papers!"

"If that's what you mean by dropping a stack and stuffing it in a drawer then running away, I'm surprised Aerith lets you anywhere near her office," the male brunette drawled, thanking Aerith for handing him a slice of her pie.

Aerith smiled. "Oh, I don't. Zack and papers don't mix well." She handed a slice to the other raven-haired male.

"Oh, Uncle Zack is gonna get it," the three boys taunted, poking Zack on the side.

"He won't do that! We have a guest in the house!" Zack exclaimed, taking Harry by the shoulders and pulling him with surprising ease before him like a shield. "Harry would be traumatized for life!"

The brunette male took Harry's wrist and pulled him away from Zack's hold. "That can be remedied. We'll take the guest to the entertainment room while Sephiroth breaks all your bones." He turned to Harry. "I'm sorry; I didn't quite catch your name."

"Harry Potter, sir."

The man nodded. "I'm Genesis. Genesis Rhapsodos." He pointed to the raven haired man with his thumb. "That one over there is Angeal Hewley." The raven haired man nodded his head in acknowledgment.

All activity stopped when they heard heavy footfalls approaching the kitchen. The boys looked at Zack and began taunting him again, and Harry was left with anticipation as the man they called Sephiroth drew near.

"He's doing it on purpose!" Zack exclaimed.

"Doing what on purpose?" Harry found himself asking though he didn't expect his voice to be so loud in the silence.

"It's a psychological maneuver," the man named Angeal answered for him. "He's using his footsteps to intimidate Zack and prolong the suspense of whatever is in store for him. It works every single time. Sadly, Zack never seems to learn."

The footsteps ended as the man became visible under the arch. The willful and commanding presence of the man left Harry absolutely breathless. He was just too good to be real.

A/N: Ehehe, so there, they, um, finally met with each other… Phew! That was a long chapter but I think the A/N lengthened it quite a bit. Sorry about that. I hope you like this one. So sorry for the super slow development but I'll get there I promise. Were anyone surprised about the kids? I hope that made some sense. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

If you want, you can leave me a review, tell me how I did. Thanks and I'll update as soon as I can.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, this is my fourth chapter… sorry for the delay. I've just started work and sadly, I was too exhausted to even think of anything. Um, thanks to all those who read my story, it's very much appreciated. Hope you guys will keep on reading!

Once again, I do not own anything except the plot of this story. Characters and events that happened in the game are not mine. They were made by creative geniuses.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 4

If Harry were to be asked, this man was the kind that he would like to be when he grew older. He was easily just as tall, if not taller than, Zack and he had long silver hair that easily reached his knees. His eyes were like jade and Harry could've sworn they seemed to glow and were slits, like a cat's. Come to think of it, he reminded him of a very big, very dangerous cat.

He felt a shiver run up and down his spine as those feline eyes regarded him with slight interest before drifting lazily to the man who was hiding behind him. He kind of felt sorry for Zack.

"Seph, I didn't mean it! It was an accident!" Zack cried out, pushing Harry out toward the silver-haired man like a shield.

"Hiding behind the boy is unbecoming of you, Fair," the man said, his voice cold as ice. Harry resisted the urge to shiver. "You'll stay here and fix that mess you made. I want those documents arranged by level of urgency, date, and don't forget to arrange them in alphabetical order corresponding to the companies they belong to."

"B-but—" Zack stuttered. He glanced over to Angeal and Genesis who seemed to be in a world of their own then to his girlfriend who just beamed at him.

"You can do it, Zack!" she offered encouragingly. Zack's shoulders seemed to sag as he realized he was not going to escape his punishment. With a resigned sigh, the man let go of Harry and went out, followed by the three boys who said something about "keeping Uncle Zack busy".

"Just be a man and get it over with already," Genesis called out to him dryly before he took a bite of the pie. He turned to the silver haired man, eyebrow raised. "Could you really trust Fair to take care of the papers when he messed it up in the first place?"

Sephiroth smirked. "He got off easy today. Beating him up doesn't work and I know for a fact how much he hates paperwork. He'll learn not to do it again, right Angeal?"

"He'll do it right this time around. He wouldn't want to be subjected to this kind of punishment again." Angeal shook his head and sighed. "Zack will always be a puppy."

Aerith giggled in response. "He's cute that way."

Left with the four adults, Harry felt out of place in their company and would have excused himself had Aerith not noticed him first.

"Harry, would you like to have dinner with us?" she asked sweetly, her smile expectant. "This is the first time we've had guests in the house since Sephiroth moved here with the boys. Kadaj and the others seemed to have taken a liking to you and it's pretty rare for them to invite someone over. I'm sure the boys would really love for you to stay over.

"Oh, I forgot, you two haven't been introduced yet!" she cried out suddenly, looking from him to the intimidating silver haired man in front him. "Harry, this is Sephiroth." She turned to the stoic man who regarded him with silent curiosity. "Sephiroth, this is Harry Potter, he's our neighbor."

"A pleasure to meet you," he said almost automatically, his hand raised for Harry to take.

Harry gave a nervous smile as he took the hand that was offered to him and shook it. He was completely overwhelmed by this man's presence. He turned to Aerith, who was still waiting for his answer and promptly apologized that he could not stay. "I already stayed for quite a while, um, Aerith. My aunt and uncle don't know that I went outside, you see, and when they find out that I snuck out, well, I'll get into a lot of trouble."

"He said his aunt and uncle don't like it when he goes outside. They don't like him," Kadaj added as he strode into the kitchen with his two brothers. He turned to Harry then, a scowl on his small mouth. "You should eat dinner with us. Mom and Dad can cook a lot of food, and it's really good, too. I'm not surprised you're so thin if you had to eat that horse lady's cooking."

"Kadaj, enough," Sephiroth said in a silent commanding tone the boy obeyed immediately.

"I think I should go now," said Harry, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

A moment after Harry left, Sephiroth told his sons to go their rooms while the adults prepared dinner. Halfway through the preparations, Zack lumbered inside the kitchen, thoroughly drained of energy that even his hair seemed to sag in exhaustion. It seemed almost funny how paperwork affected him so much.

"I hate paperwork", he announced suddenly.

Genesis, who was cutting the carrots into thin strips with incredible ease, snorted. "I think that's pretty obvious."

Zack glared at the former first class SOLDIER, and slumped on the kitchen counter. He looked around, not seeing any of the boys or Harry, voicing his question.

"The boys are upstairs, playing games, and Harry had to go home before his family finds out he's missing," Aerith explained as she held up a small saucer full of thick sauce for Sephiroth to taste. "He seems like a really nice boy. He reminds me of someone I knew."

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Zack added thoughtfully. "I just can't remember who it was, though. But I know he's a good kid. Something about the sky…"

Angeal and Genesis dismissed Zack's rambling since they couldn't understand what he was saying but Sephiroth became just as thoughtful. He and Zack couldn't remember who it was but from that smile on Aerith's face, he knew she knew more than she was willing to tell. Really, if she was not a good friend of his in this lifetime, he would have strangled her for keeping so many secrets from them.

That boy was a piece of a puzzle Sephiroth knew went beyond his memories.

"He seemed awfully small to be expected to save a planet, isn't he?" Genesis asked, drawing him from his thoughts as the male brunette handed his carrot strips and artful rose-shaped potatoes. "Too young and inexperienced for such a great responsibility, I think. If the lifestream were to be discovered, his probability for success would drop to the negatives."

"I agree," said Angeal wholeheartedly as he flipped the pieces of steak grilling on the stove. "That boy is not meant for a war, and he should not have eyes like that. Why a world would hastily put such a burden on him is unthinkable."

"Oh, Genesis!" Aerith gushed as she took in the detail of his potato roses. "These are so beautiful! It's a shame to have to cook and eat it later!"

Sephiroth thought back to the raven haired boy, who looked nervous enough he was almost afraid he would crumble at the sight of him. He was only a bit short from being scrawny and not like what Sephiroth expected a hero to be. His eyes were not the eyes of a man who would be able to kill but it was certainly of someone who had witnessed death and quite recently, too. He wondered then if the planet was right in deciding that this boy was its protector.

Then again, that boy deep in his mind was not much in appearance either but he was still able to defeat him.

"Well, on the bright side, he does have us, right?" said Zack as he beamed from the kitchen counter. "He doesn't know it but I'm sure four SOLDIERs can even up the odds quite a bit."

Caught off guard by that remark, the other males chuckled at the same time, amazed at Zack's ability to lift up the tension. With that said, they knew there should be no margin of error for this mission.

Angeal rolled his eyes. "Alright, Mr. First Class. Go and set the table then call the kids down for dinner."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Harry woke up to the consecutive pinging on his window and was surprised to see the Crescent brothers on the window opposite his. He was a little grumpy to have woken up early especially since he had not been so lucky to have escaped his uncle's attention and was deprived any dinner the night before.

He was not caught for sneaking out or anything, but just caught the brunt of his irritation at being turned down by the Crescents. Uncle Vernon had asked them to come for dinner but the family politely declined his invitation.

Of course, Harry knew they would decline seeing as the family was going to have dinner before he left and they pretty much agreed they did not like Aunt Petunia's cooking at all.

Still sleepy, Harry burrowed under his blankets and tried to block the insistent pinging on his window. When the consistent sound threatened to break his sanity, he marched over the window and opened it, irritated at the triumphant grins on the boys' faces.

"What?" he hissed irritably. He felt his eye twitch as the boys' grins became wider. Merlin, the sun had just risen and its summer! He hadn't had any dinner so he knew he was entitled to sleep in just a little bit!

"Come over here, Harry!" Loz called, gesturing inside their room. "You can have breakfast with us!"

"Keep it down!" Harry hissed. "They'll hear you!"

"Oops, sorry!" the taller boy said, though he did not sound apologetic at all. He did keep his voice low however, and Harry appreciated that.

"Just climb over the tree and come here! They won't find out if they think you're sleeping, right?" Kadaj added, pointing at the tree that stood between their windows.

"Are you kidding me?" Harry asked incredulously. "I can't do that!"

"Do we look like were kidding?" asked Kadaj, rolling his eyes. "It's just a tree, you know!"

"Come on, Harry, you can do it!" Yazoo cheered, his voice still as solemn as ever.

"What about your dad?" said Harry.

Kadaj tilted his head to the side. "What about Dad?"

"Wouldn't he mind me being there? And it's early in the morning, too!"

"He won't mind", Yazoo assured. "He didn't mind when you came yesterday, did he?"

"But that's different!"

Loz looked confused. "How is that different?"

"Come on, Harry! Don't be such a wuss! It's just breakfast!" Kadaj cried out irritably, throwing his hands up in the air. "You're so annoying!"

Harry was just as tempted to say the same to Kadaj but his growling stomach answered for him. He blushed, scowling at the smirks the boys had on their faces.

"See? Your stomach is telling you to just come with us!" said Loz, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on, the tree's pretty sturdy anyway and you don't look like you weigh much at all."

Harry didn't know whether he was being reassured or insulted by the comment but he just sighed and braced himself as he stepped out of the window pane and onto a rather thick branch. He hoped it wouldn't give out while he was still on it and he held on one of the upper branches for dear life.

Once he stepped into the boys' room, he sighed in relief, dropping onto the floor.

"That wasn't so hard, now, was it?" Yazoo asked, a smile present on his lips as he held his hand out for Harry to take. Harry grabbed the hand and was quite shocked to be pulled up easily by the frail boy. "Come. Dad's making us breakfast in the kitchen."

He sighed again, looking around the rather simple room with the large, flat screen television set nailed to the wall and several bean bags lying about the room. There seemed to be nothing special about it except for a few switches and small cabinets on one side of the door.

He followed the boys out and went down the winding staircase, immediately catching the scent of bacon, eggs and pancakes. His mouth watered and his stomach growled excitedly at the welcome assault of food to his senses. When they stepped into the kitchen, he found the elder Crescent in front of the stove, hair bound in a sleek ponytail above his head and wearing a plan white apron. He was moving alternately between three different pans, flipping the pancakes while he placed scrambled eggs on five separate plates.

It was obvious that he knew Harry would be joining them and the boy-who-lived couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow being a nuisance for staying there.

"Kadaj, set the table. Loz, Yazoo, come and put this on the table," he ordered, without turning to look at them. There was no hint of anger in his voice, just the controlled commanding tone one would associate with the military. Harry would not be surprised if he was a soldier at some point of his life since he did not seem to fit being a businessman, though he was sure it helped with his station.

Anyone would be intimidated by this man's aura, even Voldemort, but then again, the elder Crescent was a muggle so he would not be able to stand a chance against the dark lord. Although, Harry thought that the dark lord himself would have second thoughts about attacking this man.

Remembering his manners suddenly, Harry asked if there was something he could do to help. He decided that it was best to let the brothers have their way then just go back to the Dursleys before they would wake up. They normally woke up at nine anyway and that was about two hours from now.

"There is a pitcher of orange juice in the fridge", the man answered and Harry happily obliged, going to the fridge and taking the pitcher out. He hoped he wouldn't be clumsy enough to drop it though.

Their breakfast already prepared, Sephiroth placed the stack of pancakes in the center of the table, along with the butter and two glass containers of maple syrup. His sons were already seated on the table, Kadaj and Yazoo on one side and Loz and Harry on the other while he took the head of the table.

He carefully observed Harry as they began to eat and was concerned about how little the boy ate. His sons were also quite alarmed and it was no surprise that Kadaj would be the one to bring it out in the open for discussion.

"Harry, you do know that we have a stack of pancakes right in front you, don't you? Just take some for crying out loud!" He burst out, obviously annoyed. "We know you're hungry so don't hold back. That kind of thinking is going to get you killed someday."

Harry was quite startled at the outburst but he did take a couple of pancakes more. He became thoughtful, weighing Kadaj's words.

Sephiroth decided that it was a good opportunity to gather some information, though. "I've been told that you are related to the Dursleys", he began. "Where are your parents? Shouldn't you be staying with them?"

There was sadness in his eyes and Harry's voice cracked slightly. "They died in a car accident."

Sephiroth's eyes softened. "I'm sorry to hear that." He drank a bit of orange juice. Though Harry didn't lie about his parents' death, he could tell there was a different cause for it. That much he could tell from the way his eyes flickered as he said it.

"What's your school like?" Loz asked in between munching on his pancake. "I've never been to a boarding school before. Mom and Dad don't want us to go there since that would mean we'd be away from home a lot."

"That's because you squirts are troublesome enough as it is. Leaving you three alone would mean the destruction of this planet", said Zack as he unceremoniously plopped on the table beside Harry. He grinned at Harry before grabbing the plate of pancakes toward him. "Seph, you are really good at this cooking stuff, aren't you? Meh, I can't even boil an egg myself. Kinda surprising for someone like you, though."

"As cute as you are, dear, you really have a very low attention span," said Aerith from the doorway as she, too, made her appearance.

"Good morning to you, too," Sephiroth said sarcastically. "Is there any reason you two are here so early in the morning? Don't you have the flower shop to open this time of day?"

Aerith placed kisses on her boys' foreheads before she, too, sat on the chair beside Kadaj's, declining the offer of breakfast. "We already ate actually", she said, sheepishly. "You know how Zack is, though. For all his teasing Sephiroth's cooking skills, he can't seem to get enough of it." She propped her head on her hand and sighed dramatically. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm good enough for him anymore."

Harry found himself smiling at them as he watched. Now this was a family, he thought. It may not be a conventional one but it sure beats the Dursleys any day. He wondered, then, if this would be what it looked like had his parents been alive. He would probably had a lot of siblings, too, he thought sadly. He shook his head and took the thoughts off his mind. There was really no point in dwelling on these things.

Zack promptly choked on his juice, sputtering as he looked incredulously at her. "Aerith, I'm right here. And you know you are more than enough for me!"

Kadaj snorted. "The question is: is Uncle Zack worthy of mom?"

"You little brat," Zack growled, playfully. "You better hope I don't catch you!"

The teasing went on and, even though Harry didn't participate much in the conversation, he felt really happy since coming home for summer. Aerith and Sephiroth told various stories of Zack's misadventures growing up and enjoyed the raven-haired man's embarrassment. Even harry couldn't help but laugh himself. It was an hour that, for once, he could forget that he was the Boy Who Lived that Voldemort was not after his head and that he was just a normal boy spending time with his family.

Or, more accurately, his dream family.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Days passed and Harry spent more time with the Crescents in secret. He would often sneak out of the window whenever he was finished with his chores. By spending so much time he found out that Genesis was a famous film and theater director and he also introduced the play that was taking over the world, "Loveless". Angeal, he discovered, had acres upon acres of land that he used to grow his apple trees, being one of the leading exporters in the world. Zack and Aerith managed a flowershop but, based on the photos Harry saw; it was more of a botanical garden more than anything.

The Silver Triplets, as they were popularly called in Privet Drive, were avid gamers and despite being eleven year olds, they were already being trained by their father to rule the empire he made.

Every day he spent laughing with them, playing for a couple of hours when the Dursleys were away on something or other. He played videogames and happily beat Zack on one of them, watched movies with the triplets, and even helped cook dinner with Aerith and Sephiroth, though he sensed the elder Crescent wasn't too keen in letting him in the kitchen at all. He even saw how Genesis and Angeal cut up the vegetables into elaborate designs that would've been impossible on the rare occasion that they visit, being busy and all.

Usually when he stayed over, Sephiroth would either be out to work or inside the office all day. But even though he was as busy as hell, Harry marveled at his ability to make time for his kids like any father should. He even caught him barking orders at someone while he was on the phone and simultaneously cutting up a large onion in rapid strokes.

It was so much fun that Harry almost forgot his friends, Hogwarts, and Voldemort. Heck, he even almost forgot his birthday! If Kadaj hadn't wheedled it out of him, he would have forgotten it all together.

Of course, the whole family found out after that and Aerith was determined to give him a proper birthday party when they found out he hadn't had one at all.

OoOoOoOoOoO

A/N: Alright!! Chapter 4 down! I am so sorry for the wait, guys! Been so busy and stressed out and grieving for my butchered dogs for over a month… I dedicate this chapter to them as they will always be my family…

Anyways, its been a long time since I've read book 5 but can anyone kindly tell me which came first: Harry's birthday or the dementor attack?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: Thank you very much for all the alerts, the reviews, and all of those people who have read my story. And additional thanks to those who answered my question! Meh, I kinda forgot how it went since it's been a long time since I've read the book and that was years ago. Um, to Rogue Requiem-san, no worries! There is yaoi but it won't be so dominant that they make the characters, well, out of character. Can't explain how it goes but you'll see.

I'm not really a big fan of out of character, um, characters. That's why I try my best to stick with how they usually act from the games and such.

To J Bear-san, the triplets will just be turning eleven but, you'll see what'll happen! I'm not going to give anything away! :P

Shameless plug: You guys have to play FF Dissidia!! God, Sephiroth-sama was so good there!! And Cloud!! My brother actually dressed him up in his Advent Children uniform!! *swoon* SEPHIROTH-SAMA WAS TOPLESS!! *nosebleed*

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me! I wish they did, but Harry belongs to J.K. Rowling and Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix. What a shame…

On with the chapter!!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry was getting a little anxious for the Dursleys to leave the house. It had become tradition for them to taunt Harry on the day of his own birthday that they would leave the house and celebrate by eating out and this year was no different, despite Dudley's need to diet. He had been given a wilting salad for breakfast earlier today and he actually didn't mind throwing away the sweets his friends sent him days ago because he knew there was something to look forward to.

He watched from the window as his relatives boisterously cried out their plans for the day, to which Harry just rolled his eyes. Seriously, how immature can they get? He gazed impassively, chin propped on his palm as his uncle lumbered to the car and squeezed himself in. Now if Aunt Petunia were his size, they would have flattened both tires at the front. Since she was as skinny as can be, only the tire at the driver's seat would be giving out and one could definitely see the car was leaning to the side.

Wouldn't that be hilarious? Harry thought with a smirk. Then, he watched his cousin waddle over there into the back seat, further sinking the car to the ground. Thank the gods he didn't get along with them. He couldn't very well imagine himself looking all flabby like that.

There was some trouble with starting the engine but after a while, the Dursleys got moving. He watched as they vanished down the street, then stood up from his perch and went to the other window of his room. He climbed out, as was custom, and carefully crossed the tree and into the open window of the neighbor's house.

When he came inside, the triplets were inside playing a video game. Yazoo was holding a gun-shaped controller and was pointing it at several zombies on the large, flat screen television, shooting them with great accuracy. Harry noticed that he was aiming specifically at the zombies' heads. The other two were watching him and cheering him on. Kadaj was the first one to notice he was there, thrusting out a bowl of popcorn at him as he approached and sat down on one of the beanbags lying around the room.

"Mom said we should keep you entertained here while they're cooking downstairs. We're going to eat outside in the garden by the pool," Kadaj informed him, eyes settling back onto the game. "You missed the last one."

"Dammit," Yazoo hissed, as he completed the stage and his score was announced as the new top score for the level.

"Ooh, I'm telling Mom!" Loz teased, grinning toothily at his older brother.

Harry looked puzzled. "But he got the last one just fine, didn't he?"

Kadaj shook his head in reply. "He was supposed to kill them with headshots." He looked over at the willowy youth and smirked. "Guess I'll be taking twenty percent of your allowance next week."

A light eyebrow raised and a challenging smirk adorned Yazoo's usually wistful face. "Only if you can finish the next level with less time than I did in this one."

"You're on!"

About thirty minutes later and a few seconds of grumbling from Kadaj who lost by a margin of two seconds, Zack's head poked inside the room.

"Hey, kiddos, time for some grub!" he announced, his happy, wide grin, brightening everyone's moods, especially Kadaj's. He turned to Harry and gave him a mock salute. "Come on, birthday boy, I'm sure you're gonna love this!"

The children scrambled to their feet and ran out the door, leaving Harry and Zack inside. The older man shook his head and promptly turned off the video game (after quickly saving it, of course) and gestured to the door with a tilt of his head. "Come on, I'm sure you're already hungry."

Harry smiled. Among all of the men in this family, Zack had to be the easiest one to get along with, maybe easier than getting along with Ron. He loved to joke around, have fun, and he wasn't afraid of trying anything new. He was like an older brother Harry would have liked to have.

"You know, Harry," the man began as they walked side by side down the hall, "I don't want to pry or anything but, if you're relatives aren't treating you well, just tell us all right?" The raven-haired man looked downright sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand, a gesture Harry knew meant that he was uncertain. "I mean, not to brag or anything, but, Seph and the others, they have friends in all the right places, you know? We can get you somewhere you can be safe and cared for. I mean, we're all here, Aerith and I are fine if you decide you'd like to stay with us. Anyway, getting custody from your Aunt and Uncle would be easy for Seph's lawyers. They are man-eaters,I can tell you that. We have enough evidence to prove there has been some form of abuse in the past years and if you'll let us handle it, we could actually get you out of there, you know?

"Seph, Angeal and, even Genesis, are worried about you. You're pretty thin and your relatives aren't treating you right. They don't say anything 'cause, let's face it, those three are emotional retards sometimes. They just don't know how to talk to people but they care for you, too. They don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Harry stared wide eyed at Zack, surprise clearly written on his face. He smiled to himself, immense happiness flooding his being at the thought of being cared for. He also had the overwhelming urge to laugh, too. Zack really looked funny when he's all flustered. He tended to ramble on and on, too.

The boy who lived chuckled but tears started to well up in his eyes, too. He stopped from walking and held on to Zack's sleeve. Zack paused and watched him worriedly. "Thanks, Zack", was the only thing he could say. "You saying that was the best birthday present anyone could ever give me."

The older male sighed, he knew a refusal when he heard one and though he didn't know and couldn't begin to understand why someone would pass up on this great opportunity, he respected Harry's decision and laid off. For now.

There were more opportunities to persuade him anyway. "Just know that the offer still stands, Harry. We're all here for you, alright?"

"Thanks."

They walked still, down the halls and the winding staircase where they could almost hear Kadaj's voice from the front yard where the arch of trees and the swimming pool was located.

Still, Zack had to wonder why Harry was placed there, being a hero and all. The least those wizards could have done was find him a good home. He didn't lie when he said the other SOLDIERs cared about Harry and had grown quite protective of him.

Whoever put Harry in those Dursleys' "care" should be keeping surveillance on him, shouldn't they? Therefore, they should know what's been going on for the past fourteen-fifteen years or so.

Gods, Zack hoped there was a good reason for Harry staying there or Shiva, Bahamut and Ifrit would not be able to stop them from killing the man in charge, the son of a bitch.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Zack, I am not wearing a party hat."

"Oh, come on, Seph! Don't be such a party pooper!"

"He obviously doesn't want to mess up his hair. What a vain man you are, Sephiroth."

"Says the man who gets manicures and pedicures once a week."

There was a very loud laugh. "Boy, he got you there!"

"Shut up, Fair."

"Touchy!"

Harry chuckled as he watched Zack tease Genesis, the brunette just about ready to throw a slice of cake at him before Angeal intervened and promptly sent them on opposite sides of each other. Zack was grinning from ear to ear, wearing a brightly colored, striped party hat on his head, strands of his spiky hair protesting from the unwelcome confinement. He was happily offering a polka dotted one to Sephiroth who was taking turns glaring heatedly at him and the preposterous hat, mouth set in a thin line and flatly refusing to wear the damned thing.

Angeal was looking over the kids while they splashed around the pool and consoling Genesis who was still sulking. He was sitting at the edge of the pool, a slice of cake on his hand, his hair still wet after his little dip in the pool moments ago. He was wearing a pair of swimming trunks, his change of clothes kept inside the house.

Aerith had been happily filling his plate every few minutes with something or other and he finished it all, much to her satisfaction before taking out the large two-deck, triple layered dark chocolate cake she had prepared earlier that morning.

Harry never knew a time when he felt so full in his life.

"So, we've had food and stuff", Zack announced happily. "The only things we're missing now are the presents!"

_Presents? He was going to get presents?_ Harry thought, shocked.

"And the birthday song!" Aerith chirped in.

"And the birthday song", Zack agreed with a nod. "Before we get to the presents, we have to sing Harry a happy birthday!"

The other three adults looked at him as if he had lost his mind or grew another head, or both.

"Come on, its Harry's birthday! A birthday will not be complete if we don't sing him a happy birthday!"

"Shouldn't we have sung the birthday song before we ate the cake?" Genesis asked. "Since we already ate the cake, I think we don't need to sing anymore."

Sephiroth would've allowed himself to look relieved if he were anyone else but himself and Angeal relaxed more against his beach chair. SOLDIERs, with the exception of one Zachary Fair, do not sing. Period.

Zack was about to protest but stopped when he saw the icy glare directed at him by Sephiroth. Not that it ever stopped him before but this one promised a lot of pain and paperwork organization so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Fine. Presents it is then", the raven-haired man agreed grudgingly before he dove under the table and took out a large basket with boxes of varying sizes in different colors of wrapping paper. He reached into the basket and held out an average sized box to Harry.

With great wonder in his eyes, Harry took the box carefully in his hands and looked at each of them in turn, uncertainly. This was really a day of firsts. It was the first time he ever had a birthday party with, dare he say it, his family.

Zack did say as much, didn't he? That he was part of the family? He bit his lip and opened the small, white card and saw that it was from Yazoo.

"Well? Go on! Open it!" Kadaj burst out, obviously on tenterhooks himself.

It was a profound moment for him as he gently peeled off the paper. The gift Yazoo bought for him was covered in a lacquered black box. He unfastened the latch and flipped the box open. There, in a nest of white velvet was a pair of new glasses with a thin, golden frame. Right beneath it was a pair of substitute tinted lenses.

He looked up at Yazoo, his thanks caught in his throat.

"You're not the only one can climb on that tree", was the only explanation the willowy youth offered.

"What he means is we climbed over to your window one day and took your glasses", Loz explained, extremely proud of their deeds.

Ah, so that explained his glasses' mysterious disappearance a few days ago.

Harry smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you."

There was a short silence between them and Kadaj prodded him into trying the glasses on. He did, and it was safe to say he looked a heck of a lot better than wearing his old pair, as Zack happily pointed out.

Another gift was handed to him but before he could reach for it, a very familiar voice yelled from the gate.

"YOU! What are you doing out here, boy?!"

The family turned to the source of the voice, and surely enough, just as Harry feared, the Dursleys were at the gates. His uncle was going red in the face, almost purple really, in his anger, his aunt was glaring daggers at him and his cousin was looking smugly.

"Get out here, you little freak!"

And Harry froze. He was in some really deep shit right now.

To be continued…

A/N: Whooo!! So there's the next chapter for you guys! I know it's a cliffhanger but you're gonna love the next part. Face the wrath of an unexpected person. Not telling who. :D Anyway, how was it so far? I thought about it really well and I think Zack and Genesis are the type to argue a lot about things…

It's short compared to the other chapters but I thought I should end it there.

Please don't forget to read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. After six years, I think readers of this story are entitled to kill me. Please remember that if you kill me, though, this story would never be finished. You can, however, give me a beating that I deserve.

Disclaimer: I do not own any one of these characters. (Saying this really gets exhausting.)

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chapter Six

"Boy, you get over here, right now, or I swear I'll…" Uncle Vernon shook his large fist at him, growling under his breath. He did not even care that their neighbors, the Crescents, were seeing his fury at his nephew, reputations be damned. He did not know how the boy knew them nor did he understand the bond that they had forged. He couldn't accept that that little maggot made friends with such influential people while he and his family were usually brushed aside.

Aunt Petunia was as pale as a sheet next to him, stony faced and shaking, as if she was on the verge of an aneurism. A little behind his parents, Dudley was watching him, gloating with a wide smirk on his face, obviously anticipating what will happen next.

"You ungrateful little bastard," Uncle Vernon growled as he stomped his way over to them, beady eyes impossibly wide. "You are going back to the house and you will stay there. You'd better be ready, boy, because once I'm through with you, even those freaks won't recognize you."

"It's not everyday you get to hear a threat like that," Zack remarked casually, pulling a small black box from behind him. "Luckily for me, I'm always ready. Wouldn't want to miss all the important stuff, right, champ?" He directed the question to Harry, winking at him as his grin turned wolfish. "Tape recorders are _so_ handy these days." He pressed a few buttons and Uncle Vernon's voice boomed from the recording.

"I suggest you calm yourself down, Mr. Dursley," Sephiroth commanded, his voice frigid and his gaze as sharp as a knife. "I do not take kindly to trespassers. Remove yourself and your family from my property before I call the police."

Of course, Sephiroth could remove them himself if he had to, but that would take too much effort on his part. Still, he remained alert, his body thrumming with the tension filling his front yard. He almost hoped that there _would_ be a reason for him to "let loose", as Zack put it.

Harry, unlike the rest of the family who seemed to be enjoying this morbid situation he got himself in, was petrified and had nearly yelped when he felt a hand close around his shoulder. He looked up to see Aerith smiling down at him.

"Everything will be alright," she whispered softly, her smile a calming force that made him relax on his chair. "Let us help you."

He nodded at her and returned his gaze to the scene before him. Uncle Vernon was trying valiantly to return Sephiroth's hard, unblinking stare, but whatever courage he had from his outburst was quickly being snuffed out. His face was still botched purple from his unreleased fury, but the threat of a scandal was enough to give him pause.

"I didn't think we have to resort to this now, of all times," he heard Genesis mutter to Angeal. "It's a good thing we anticipated this."

Angeal grunted in agreement. "Let's just be thankful that we made preparations and, so far, everything's smooth."

Harry turned his gaze to the pair, and saw Genesis nod. "I think we have no choice but to go with the plan completely."

"Well, Mr. Dursley?" Sephiroth prompted, a silver brow raised in question.

"I'm not leaving without the brat," the large man growled at him.

Zack shook his head with an infuriating grin. "Uh-uh. We don't think so. Harry's staying here and he will be until you get your act together and stop bullying him."

There was an audible gasp of outrage from Aunt Petunia. "Bullying him? We've never done such a thing! Why he should even be grateful that we took him in after his parents died! We clothed him, fed him, paid for his education. All that he gets is what he deserves for being what he is. A freak!"

The hand on Harry's shoulder tightened and he looked up to see Aerith's narrowed gaze. It was odd seeing anything other than a smile on her face.

"Oh, dear, I think Aerith's mad. Not good," Genesis muttered.

"I hope they don't get on her nerves too much," Angeal responded with a hint of sympathy.

"Well, his parents were just the same as he is! Showing off their abnormalities as if it's something to be proud of while the rest of us have to work hard to get where we are!" Aunt Petunia continued to rant with what Harry supposed was a deep resentment against his mother that festered for years. "Good riddance to both of them, I say! Waltzing in and out of our lives then dumping my family with some worthless trash!"

There was a loud whack as Aerith clapped her dainty hand over the table. "That is enough, Mrs. Dursley!" she shouted then took a calming breath. "We have heard enough from you." Her voice was clipped and short, like jagged ice. Aunt Petunia looked like she was about to say something but Aerith cut her off by turning to Uncle Vernon. "I suggest you take your wife home before she says or does anything she will regret. Now."

"Mom is so cool when she's angry," Kadaj chirped proudly from his seat at the edge of the pool.

"That's because we don't see it often," Yazoo replied, already bored.

"Which is a good thing, right?" Loz added as an afterthought. The three wondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"In lieu of this, we have also decided it would be best if Harry were to stay with us instead. Of course, this is not optional," Sephiroth said. Like a true businessman, he had procured papers from his lawyers that would allow him custody of Harry until he was of age with a restraining order against the Dursleys. "We can settle this like adults right now or we can face each other in court, either way is fine with me. Remember that we have more than enough evidence against you and that the company you're working for can easily be bought out."

"T-that's blackmail!" Uncle Vernon stuttered, face going pale. "You can't do that!"

"Call it what you want. I call it a business arrangement," the silver-haired man replied breezily with a wave of his hand and a slight shrug. "You can sign these papers and you can walk away with what dignity you have left or you can face me and suffer the consequences."

"You're joking! You think you're that powerful, Crescent?"

"I do not _think_, Mr. Dursley, I _know_." Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest. "It is _you_ who think too highly of yourself. I merely state the facts."

Uncle Vernon looked torn and he had gone from purple to pasty white to red in a span of minutes. Somehow, in Harry's mind, he didn't think it was healthy to change colors that fast. Some rational part of it also reminded him that his future was being discussed right in front of him and yet he couldn't care less. He was a little stumped to know that the Crescents wanted him and, from what he heard, had been planning to get custody of him for a while now.

Finally, his uncle made his decision, throwing his arms up in the air. "Fine! You take him, we don't care! Good riddance, I say! Just don't come crying back when those freaks start to show up after him! I'm not dealing with anymore of his nonsense!" He turned around, stomping to his wife and grabbing her by the arm. "Just send those papers over. I don't want to deal with you lot. I'd probably throttle you when I see your face. Come on, Dudley!"

"I highly doubt that he'd be able to do that," Zack quipped after they passed through the gates and slammed it shut behind them, the gate creaking in protest by the sudden force.

There was silence until Loz said, "Mom, can I have some cake please?" and Aerith was back to her normal, smiling self, replying "Sure, dear" as she reached for Loz's empty saucer.

"I think we should continue with the gifts later. After we get your stuff from you uncle's place before he decides to burn it out of spite. What do you think, champ?" Zack asked as he jabbed his thumb in the Dursleys' general direction.

Harry could only nod, a determined look on his face. He didn't know what happened but he was going to get answers.

Author's note: I know this is pathetic. It's too short, even for me, and after you've waited so long. But this is going to get better, I promise. This is kinda like a preview and a note to everyone that I haven't abandoned this story at all.

Reviews and verbal lashings are appreciated.


End file.
